On November 8th, UK Parliament's International Development Committee held the first of two hearings to reconsider the resumption of budget support to the Government of Rwanda, despite the most recent UN Experts and Human Rights Watch reports that Rwanda is behind the M23 militia's war and atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

KPFA/Ann Garrison: The most recent UN investigation, which was leaked to Reuters in mid-October, reported that Rwandan Defense Minister James Kabarebe is commanding the M23 miltia in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and that is being armed by Rwanda and Uganda, both of which sent troops to aid the M23 in a lethal attack on U.N. peacekeepers.

A September Human Rights Watch report on M23's war crimes in Congo included rape, forced recruitment, and summary executions, and the execution of child soldiers who tried to escape. In one of HRW's most horrific atrocity accounts, it said that M23 soldiers broke down a woman's door, beat her 15-year-old son to death, abducted her husband, then gang-raped her, poured fuel between her legs, and set the fuel on fire before leaving.

Other European countries have frozen aid to Rwanda, so the UK Parliament's International Development Committee Chair asked former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell to explain why the UK is now standing alone in its decision.

Committee Chair: The question arises, however, as to what extent, if you like, that support gives cover to practices which are much more disreputable, whether it's interfering with a neighboring state, or indeed suppression of the rights of its own citizens, and that's really what this concern is all about. So you've explained why it was withheld, you've explained the process by which you partially reinstated it . . . but Britain at the moment stands alone on that decision.

Andrew Mitchell: This suggestion that Britain's gone out on a limb here just isn't true. Let me just give you some of the details. The European Union made no change at all to their programs. They released budget support as planned in September. . . The American government, the press have pointed out that the American government cut $200,000 of their military aid, which is correct, but what was not reported was that the development program, which is 160 million dollars a year . . . this is a huge development program . . . has not been affected.

KPFA: The UK Parliament's International Development Committee will hold its second hearing on budget support to Rwanda on November 13th.